Your smile, heals my soul
by Alaki-chan
Summary: A girl is stranded in the streets in the land of the waves, Haku and Zabuza take her in because she's dying. Many interesting things happen while she is with them. Rating is for safety in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the main character and the Tainu clan_

_Please be nice to me, this is my first story. I appreciate constructive criticism but don't leave a comment just to tell me you hate the story. The first few chapters may be rather short, but as I get better at thinking of what to write they should get longer. I'm not quite sure how long this will be but I hope to get it to at least 10 chapters. Lots of squiggles, Alaki._

_P.S. My beta reader edited this chapter, so now I am reposting it with the changes made._

_Sayonara!_

-Narrator POV-

A starving young girl was sitting on a cold bridge, her knees curled in to her chest, and one shivering hand held out to the people passing by, hoping one of them would stop to give her money or food. She focused on a noble-looking man, who seemed to be trying very hard to ignore her.

Although there were many people simply passing by the tiny girl, the only one she failed to notice was the one man standing across the bridge, watching her through the falling snowflakes.

-Starving Young Girl's PoV-

I looked at my empty hands and held in tears. I needed food today or tomorrow, or I would most likely die. That was not something I wanted to test.

_Ahem._

I looked up. And up… and up, until my eyes finally rested on the bandaged face of a very tall man. He had a large sword strapped to his back, and his torso was partly covered by the same type of bandages concealing his face. Why he wasn't freezing to death was beyond me.

"Come on. I'll take you in," he said, reaching a bandaged hand down to me.

I instinctively shrunk back in fear. _This can't be happening… not again! _I thought, the tears streaming down my face a little faster than before. I violently shook my head, and pulled myself as close as I could in to the side of the bridge. I would have screamed for help if not for my dry throat, constricting my voice.

"Zabuza," the voice was so soft. I looked up to see a girl standing behind the tall man. "I think you're scaring her."

"This was your idea, Haku!" the man I now knew as Zabuza scowled, looking over his shoulder. "You try talking to her," he growled, stepping to the side to give the girl in turquoise room to speak with me. She approached me with small steps, crouching down as close to my level as she could comfortably get.

"Hello there," she—no, he. That was a masculine voice. This was a man?—he said. "My name is Haku. I apologize if Zabuza-san scared you, but he really did mean well. He took me in many years go, and is now my Master. He may seem cold-hearted, but he seems to have a soft spot for children living alone on the streets. We noticed you a few days ago, and we wanted to see if you were okay. How long have you been living here?"

Here? I'd been living on this bridge for about a week or so… or did he mean out on the streets in general? I hesitated for a moment before trying to speak, but words wouldn't come out; my throat was too dry. I fell in to a violent coughing fit instead, and there was suddenly a flask in front of me. I took it and poured whatever was in it in to my mouth. It must have been water, but you could never be sure.

I handed back the now half-empty flask with a small 'thank you,' before clearing my throat once more to say, "Two years, exactly."

The boy with the soft voice… Haku… nodded with a sympathetic smile. "Today is your lucky day, then," he said. "If you would like, Zabuza and I will take you in. We can feed you and train you to be a shinobi. Would you like that?"

I let a small, nearly non-existent smile escape my lips. "I could be a shinobi again?" I whispered in disbelief. I ignored his look of curiosity and surprise at this comment, and spoke directly to him. "Thank you so much. My name is Shantakai, but you may call me Shan."

I didn't, and still don't, know why, but speaking with Haku, and seeing him smile, made me feel like I was home in my village with my friends and family once more. I felt like I could trust him with any thing, although I knew there were some things that I must keep a secret.

Haku gave me his sweetest smile and held his hand out to me. I took the proffered hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet, following him towards my new teacher, Zabuza.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Your smile, heals my soul**_

_Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto or Inuyasha characters, I only own Shantakai, her clan, her clan's kekkai genkai, and her clothes (And not even some of those)._

_Author's Note: This one is also quite short, even though it seems long on paper and took like an hour to write on paper. Whatever, reviews are appreciated and so is criticism. I was doing some research and I found out that Haku is 15 when he meets Naruto but in my story he is 12, just so you know . Squiggles and cookies, Alaki_

_P.S. Thank you to my wonderful beta reader / best friend. What would I do without her? I know, all my chapters would have as many grammatical errors as the first one! Sorry about the slight posting delay, beta's computer wouldn't let her dowload so she couldn't edit before I left._

* * *

As he was leading me I stumbled, I was too weak to move on my own. Haku felt the pull on his hand that was in mine when I fell and he turned around worriedly. He saw that I couldn't get up and so he lifted me and started to carry me. As he was walking he looked at me and started talking perhaps in an effort to distract me from my embarrassment. 

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly, "When was the last time you ate?"

I shrugged in reply. I was unsure if I was alright and I couldn't remember how long ago I ate that end of bread.

Haku smiled yet again, it seemed as though he could tell it reassured me and reminded me of happier times. He continued talking,probably to distract me.

"Why am I asking?" He shook his head. "You wouldn't have fallen if you were alright, and I haven't seen you eat for at least the last three days. Don't worry. When we get back to Zabuza's hideout, we'll feed you and let you rest until you are fit to start training!" He smiled, and paused in thought as it faded. "You may need to borrow clothes from me as well. Those clothes look very over-worn. When was the last time you were able to change clothing?"

I flushed in embarrassment, and shrugged. The rags were all that was left of my once beautiful kimono and the pants I had worn when I lived in the village.I'd been the leader's prized pupil, so the clothes I was given were beautiful. A short indigo and crimson kimono, patterned with roses. Underneath it I wore black pants and a black tank-top. This was the outfit I always wore because it was deceptively beautiful and often fooled people into thinking I was just another one of those absolutely useless girls, but it was also highly practical for fighting in because it allowed me to move freely and do whatever was needed. I think Haku noticed I was lost in thought because he waited until I nodded in agreement with his assessment before he nodded back, and continued talking.

"I gathered from what you said earlier that you were once a shinobi. Were you skilled?"

I nodded with a look of extreme sadness on my face. I had been the best, however, when my father packed us off I had been too young to be formally recognized with a hitai-ate. Master had rules about the age you could formally become a ninja because of something that had happened in his former village. He had been about to make an exception for me because I was better than all but him, his personal doctor and my cousin, all three of which were much older than me. My cousin was 4 years older, the doctor was 10, and the Leader by about 40. The Leader was going to make me a true shinobi and claim me as his right-hand.

I came back to my senses and saw that Haku was looking at me closely.

"You seem to be about the same age as me," he observed. "You didn't receive a hitai-ate in your village did you? Don't worry." He smiled sweetly... again. "Zabuza and I will amend that as well. Speaking of Zabuza, it appears that we have finally caught up with him."

I turned my head to the front and saw that we had indeed caught up with the man. It appeared to me that he had continued walking slowly after he left us.

Haku called out to him, "Zabuza. She's agreed, and what's more, she was a shinobi-in-training before she lived on the streets."

Zabuza turned and looked at us with eyes that showed he was almost smiling. He walked over to us and asked me, "So, what is your name girl?"

I did my best to respond in the vaguely remembered proper form and choked out "Hajimamashite, Tainu Shantakai, sensei, dozo yoroshite."

After I had forced out the words I started coughing and couldn't stop. The pain from my dry throat was too much and I blacked out while I was still in Haku's arms.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Okay, some things to say here. As my beta reader pointed out Haku would have dodged the pillow, but really it's a pillow, he wouldn't care. I'm very sorry for taking so long to post this and I could give you a long list of excuses for why but the truth is that school sucks and I'm lazy. It was my last day of school today, so I no longer have any excuses not to update, if you think I'm taking too long tell me. xD Also, under the orders of my beta-reader, I'll only update if I get at least 3 reviews from different people that say more than, "Update please," so tell me what you like, randomly talk to me, do whatever, just review!_

_Lots of love_

_-Alaki_

* * *

When I awoke I experienced a sensation I could not recall experiencing before; I was warm and _comfortable_. Highly confused I started to sit up until I felt a soft hand on my forehead preventing me from moving anymore. Even more confused, and realizing that my eyes were still closed, I opened them and saw Haku above me and a ceiling above him.

Before I could ask where I was, Haku explained, "We're in Zabuza's hideout. When you fainted, we went as fast as we could so you would be comfortable and safe when you woke up."

I opened my mouth to talk, but before I could, Haku handed me a mug filled with something that smelled like herbal tea. I took the mug and allowed Haku to help me ease into a sitting position. I drank the tea slowly, one small sip at a time, and I could feel the difference almost immediately. My mouth lost that peculiar sour taste that only occurs when you are dehydrated and I could feel my throat loosen up.

Once again I opened my mouth to talk, and this time Haku didn't interrupt me, "Do you have any more of that tea, or possibly some soup?" I asked hopefully.

Haku giggled at me a bit – Yes, giggled, - and he said, "I was going to ask if you were feeling any better, but you just made that quite obvious."

He smiled happily at me and I smiled back, while still managing to glare at him in a way that said, "If you don't feed me soon, you can say goodbye to your fingers."

Haku took the hint and left, but not before saying, "Don't go anywhere. If I can't find you, I can't feed you."

I tried to get up so that I could at least explore the room. Haku _should _be able to find me in there, but I was just so very tired all of a sudden. Instead of getting up and exploring, I pulled the blankets back onto me and fell asleep. If you don't have very much food or sleep you tend to want as much of both as you can get once they're safely available.

I slept until I heard footsteps and could smell something delicious. When I opened my eyes I could see a tray beside me on a small table and Haku trying to sneak away. In a fit of mischief I pulled the smallest, and therefore least comfortable, pillow out from under me and threw it at him. Because of my awesome ninja skills it hit him right in the back of the head. With a small squeak Haku jumped and turned to face me.

I was doing my best to look innocent while stifling the burst of giggles Haku's squeak had elicited, but it was just too hard! I burst out laughing and quietly said between giggles, "You should have heard yourself," Before losing all control once again.

Haku grinned ruefully and rubbed the spot on his head where the hard little pillow had struck. I was a _lot_ stronger now that I had some food and rest. "What was that for?" Haku questioned, mock-pouting.

I shrugged and, still snickering, answered, "I felt like demonstrating my aim. Nobody's allowed to sneak away from a sleeping ninja without getting attacked," I reached over to grab what he had brought me and started eating, slightly disturbed by how friendly I had become with him.

Haku seemed to take my action as a way of saying that I didn't really want to talk anymore, as he was leaving he told me, "I'll be back in a few minutes with some spare clothes. They shouldn't fit too badly."

While Haku was gone I took my time in enjoying the soup he had brought me, it was really quite good. In the time I had to myself I took the opportunity to think of the options finishing my training would open for me. _I could go home! _At that thought, I dropped my spoon into the now empty bowl and sat there, stunned, repeating those words to myself, and thinking of all the possibilities that went along with it. _I could finally be recognized as Master's right-hand. I'll only be controlled by my loyalty to my Master! _I was so distracted by my thought that I didn't even notice when Haku came back carrying a very brightly colored kimono.

After standing there watching me. Haku finally spoke, catching my attention, "The room next to yours is the bathing room. I've brought you some clothes and a brush for your hair if you would like to bathe." He held out the pile of fabric, with a brush balanced on top, out to me like some sort of messed up religious offering.

With a weak grin, I slowly stood up and took the pile from him. As I stumbled towards the bathing room I called back quietly, "If you try to watch me bathe, I'll kill you," in complete and utter seriousness. I finished walking to the room and got into the bath, settling myself comfortably, prepared to wash myself at least four times.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's note: Well, thanks to Mark being nice and reviewing you get the next chapter! This chapter started quite a few arguments between my beta-reader and I, but that might just be because it's fun to argue for the sake of arguing with your best friend. xD So, now it's up and I still require at least three reviews to update!_

_Lots of love, Alaki_

_Disclaimer: Do I own Naruto? Yeah right, I haven't even got my first job yet, if I owned Naruto I wouldn't even _need_ a job!_

_

* * *

_

_Ew, pink. _

I had only accepted the bright-colored _kimono_ to be polite. If it were up to me, the _kimono_ would have been a dark purple, covered in blood red flowers, but you can't always have what you want. That is something I have learned throughout my lifetime.

I stood in front of the mirror, watching myself attempt to tighten the _obi _to fit my starved, ninty-five pound frame. Picking up a brush from the table beside the mirror, I glared hard at the color, wishing for it to change. I made a mental note to create a _jutsu _that would change the color of what I was wearing.

Quickly pulling the tangles out of my waist-length purple-black hair, I made my way back to the bedroom I would be borrowing for as long as I was here.

Haku's eyes fell on me with a surprised expression the moment I stepped in to my room. "You look much more like a proper ninja now that you've had a bath. I couldn't even tell what color your hair was before," he then paused, giving me a scrutinizing look. "It is a very interesting color. It appears black, but shines purple in the light."

I gave him a small smile and nodded. "It is kind of different, isn't it?" He nodded in agreement. My clan was well known for their unique colorings.

I snapped myself back into reality just in time to hear Haku say, "at least your coloring is the only odd thing about you," he said almost jealously, "I have the _kekkai genkai_ of my clan _and_ I look like a girl. Although, the androgyny doesn't bother me very much. It's the looks people give me when they find out I'm a boy," he chuckled nervously.

Judging by Haku's nervousness, the ninja probably didn't talk about himself often. This would be a great opportunity to get to know my new teammate better. The best way to encourage some one to share their past with you is to share yours with them. Thus, I prepared myself to disclose some rather important information about my self.

"_Dui bu qi,_" I whispered, looking in to his eyes.

Haku gave me a look of utter confusion. "What?" he asked. He obviously didn't speak the language. I gave him a small smile.

"It means 'I'm sorry' in a language my master taught me," I clarified.

Haku nodded, appearing a little less confused. "What are you apologizing for?"

I grinned in response. "For keeping secrets from you," I explained, continuing as his confused expression became a glare. "My odd coloring is a result of _my _clan's _kekkai genkai_. Also, there are certain things that _must _be kept a secret, so, I apologize for that, as well. _Dui bu qi._"

Haku appeared to be fighting the urge to ask me about those _certain things_ but decided to ask about me instead. "Well, what was your family like?" was his question.

I gave him a grin that was neither sad nor happy, for some reason talking about my family both depressed and exalted me. Also, had I not just told myself that I wouldn't talk about my family unless he asked?

In response to his question about my family I told him, "we were a family of shinobi. About a year before my father moved us from the village, my mother died during an S-ranked mission. She was part of our village's equivalent of Konoha's ANBU. My mother, no matter how hard and ruthless she was during missions, was the sweetest, most loving, and kindest woman who has ever lived in our country."

Here I paused in my thoughts, watching a bug crawl across the floor.

"Our village was... lesser known than most," I began. "Despite this, it was one of the most powerful, as our leader is one of the most powerful shinobi of his generation." My voice fell in to a hero-worshiping quality, making it obvious how much I loved my Master.

Haku smiled at this and prompted me to continue. "What about the rest of your family?" he asked.

My smile faded and I let out a small "oh," before taking another moment to think of who to mention next.

"I have a cousin, Yousei. He is four years older than me," I began. "I guess he's alright. He and I are the only two to inherit the _kekkai genkai _of our clan in several generations, therefore, we are expected to wed when I turn eighteen," I paused with a disgusted expression on my face. "I don't think I like the idea of marrying a cousin, especially one so close to me."

I glanced at Haku, who was giving me a sympathetic look. "That's horrible. I can see why you left the village," he nodded. That wasn't why I left, but I let it go. "Is there any one else worth mentioning?"

Glad for an excuse to stop talking about my uncomfortable arranged marriage, I quickly moved on.

"There's Rin," I paused to smile in recollection of the excitable little girl before continuing. "She was six years old the last time I saw her. She's not actually related to us, but Yousei's parents adopted her when she was only a year old, and it has always felt as if she belongs with us."

I paused in thought, trying to remember any other family members worth mentioning. The image of my father flashed in my mind. At first I thought of how kind he'd been before mother had died, but this led to the later years, when he was cruel and abusive. He later dragged me out of the village, my only home, and abandoned me. I chose to keep his memory to myself.

I pulled myself out of those thoughts, trying to remember some one else important. I was so sure there was another person, but after a moment, I decided it was unimportant at the moment. I'd already let out more than Haku needed to know.

"What has your life been like, Haku?" I changed the subject quickly. My turn.

Haku gave me a surprised look, then hesitated, probably trying to decide whether or not he should be exposing his history. I gave him a reassuring smile, encouraging him to share his secrets. He smiled back.

"Zabuza is my family," he began. "We aren't related, but he is the only good thing that has happened to me in my lifetime. I was still very young when he found me on the street. I can't remember very much before that." He trailed off with a warm smile covering whatever emotion or lack thereof brought out by the loss of memory. I returned the smile, with a bit of added sympathy, covering my suspicion. I felt as though he was hiding something, but I let it slide. He wasn't the only one keeping something to himself, and he was quick to change the subject.

"You will begin your training within the next few days," he informed me. "Though we will begin with the easy stuff, you will need strength nonetheless. Please get some sleep, Shan-san. Good night." He gave me a small wave as he stood and made his way towards the door.

"Goodnight, Haku-kun," I said with a grin. His concern was very becoming.

I stood and turned towards the bed, taking a step before pausing and looking down at the pink kimono Haku had given her to wear. As much as I despised the color, it would need to last me until we went to a town and had a chance to buy another. I had no way to know when that would be at the time.

While I did not want to sleep naked, I also did not want to wear the kimono to bed and dirty it. I bit my lip in thought, and finally gave in, untying the _obi _around my waist. Haku was a polite boy, I was sure he'd ask permission before entering in the morning, and as I had not seen Zabuza since before I'd passed out, I felt assured that I had a good chance of not being seen sleeping naked.

Letting the rest of the pink atrocity fall to the ground, now wearing only undergarments, I laid in to bed, wrapping the blankets around me tightly and snuggling in to them. For the first time in two years, I fell asleep with not a single worry in my mind.


End file.
